


Inadvertent OST - Queen

by Bumpkin



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Gen, Inspired by Music, Musical!Stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-05-19 00:09:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19345513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bumpkin/pseuds/Bumpkin
Summary: Stiles is a devoted Queen fan thanks to his mother who was one as well, he lives his life to them as a soundtrack and in some cases it gets freaky appropriate. Little vignettes shoehorned around canon including some pre-canon.





	1. No One But You (Only The Good Die Young)

No One But You (Only The Good Die Young)  
Stiles & Claudia  
(wordount: 785)  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLKyaOLb2Fs

Stiles was feeling very hazy, he knew the Minister was speaking - extolling all his dead mother's virtues and matching them with scripture like he'd told both he and his father before it all started - but he wasn't actually hearing it. Not really. Things still felt unreal, like he wasn't living it in truth or like a really crappy dream that he'd love to wake up from sometime soon. Then certain words penetrated the haze.

".. and now her son, Stiles, has something he wanted to share with you all."

That was his cue, he got up from his seat in the front pew and walked up to where he'd previously set up his guitar, amp, and microphone. His father followed him to take his own place at the piano. Stiles was really thankful that his dad had agreed when he'd proposed they do this, he didn't know if he would have been able to actually do it if he hadn't. Stiles methodically turned everything on that he needed to almost by rote, thanks to the long hours of practice he'd put in to get ready for this, and then when he was done he spoke into his mic. 

"Hey, everyone." His voice cracked and he stopped to clear his throat before continuing, "My mom, as anyone who knew her knows, was an absolutely huge Queen fan." Soft slightly broken laughter sporadically broke out in the congregation as friends and family of Claudia reacted to, what was to them, well known information. "Yeah, I know, didn't really need to be said, but it was a good way to lead into what I am doing up here." He cleared his throat again and smiled sadly. "As I hadn't been born yet when it happened, I was told that my mom was devastated when Freddie Mercury died. And then when I was about three or four, I can't remember, a song came out from the three remaining members of the band as a kind of eulogy for Freddie, and my mom loved it; both the song and that they had eulogized him in his chosen medium. She told me that they couldn't have found a better way to say goodbye to him and so when we were asked if we wanted to say a few words in farwell while we were putting Mom's funeral together I had this idea that I could sing for her. Combine her love for music as well as her love for Queen."

He stepped back from the mic for a moment to gather himself, and then nodded to his father where he sat at the piano. His father started to play as he stepped forward and started singing,

" _...A hand above the water_  
_An angel reaching for the sky_  
_Is it raining in heaven_  
_Do you want us to cry?..._ "

Stiles was lost in the moment, focused entirely on the song. His clear treble soared around the room with only the tiniest rasp to it. The rasp adding to the mournful quality of the already moving song, and many listening were enthralled. At the beginning of the second verse, Stiles began to mimic drum sounds on his guitar while his father kept the piano bit going as Stiles continued to sing. Then when Noah's voice, a light tenor with an even heavier rasp, joined in at the end of the second verse as backup, everyone listening were rocked with the sheer emotion the two remaining family members were sharing with them. Stiles now started to strum on his guitar while somehow still keeping some of the drum sounds going when they moved into the chorus together. The third and fourth verses were again just Stiles singing, but his father joined in again on the final chorus until they alternated, 

" _... Cryin' for nothing…_ " Stiles sang.

" _...Cryin' for no one…_ " Noah sang, his voice sounding very strained.

And then Stiles ended it, " _...No one but you…_ "

Stiles let his voice trail off with the final word as he gave a hearty strum to his guitar strings, and only when he was done did he duck his head and let his face crumble a bit with the emotions he was trying so desperately to hold back. He pulled himself back together after only a few tears had spilled over and raised his head again.

"Thank you." He said roughly, muffled crying and scattered applause swept through the room. Stiles nodded stiltedly in thanks and then said, "My dad wanted to sing his own farewell to my mom, so he's up next." Stiles then moved back from the mic and used one of his sleeves to dry his face as everyone's attention swapped from him to his dad.


	2. All Dead, All Dead

All Dead, All Dead  
Sheriff Noah Stilinski & Stiles  
(wordcount: 865)  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_6AC2u0E4E

Eyes swollen and red in his pale and drawn with grief face, Noah 'John' Stilinski shifted on the piano bench when everyone's attention swung to him from where his son stood. He hadn't broken down again when Stiles had sung his farewell to his mother, but it had been a close thing there at the end and he was getting so tired of crying. He took in and deep breath to steady himself even more and blew it out harshly with his lips slightly parted, then he cleared his throat. He leaned forward slightly to softly speak into the microphone, "As Stiles said earlier, anyone who knew my Claudia knew she was a huge fan of the band 'Queen' and so I would also like to share with you another of her favourite songs of theirs' while we are gathered here to say goodbye and remember her."

He closed his eyes as his fingers swept over the piano's keys coaxing forward a cascade of notes of a sweet melody, a few measures in he opened his eyes and began to sing with a decidedly raspy tenor that was a little rougher than it normally was due to all the crying he'd been doing recently. Muffled sobs were barely heard throughout the congregation as friends and family tried to keep their composure while Noah sang the lilting melody. 

" _...So much ado 'bout nothing_  
_Is what she'd try to say_  
_So much ado my lover_  
_So many games we played_  
_Through every fleeted summer_  
_Through every precious day…_ "

____

Stiles chimed in like a well trained backup singer when it was called for, just like his father had for him when he was singing. His sweet and piping childish voice adding a lot more poignancy to the song than those who already knew the song were prepared to handle. More muffled crying was heard and Noah's voice became rougher as he continued to sing.

" _...All dead, all dead_  
_All the dreams we had_  
_And I wonder why I still live on…_ "

Stiles added in the percussion and bass to the song on the body of his guitar with carefully practiced finger flicks and palm slaps, while still continuing to harmonize when back up singing was needed. Then Noah came to the part of the song that only has the piano for ten seconds and he was given a chance to gain back his composure, and voice. 

He had needed it. 

He sang the next verse smoothly for the majority, only to begin to lose it again with the last two words. Thankfully getting to that point allowed him another break in singing and he only had to play the piano while Stiles played his guitar like an actual guitar for the first time in the song. 

Noah smiled bittersweetly at the pure concentration on his son's face as he played while his own fingers moved on the piano's keys almost on autopilot. It was a tricky bit of playing for Stiles to get his guitar to sound like he wanted it to and involved a foot pedal that Noah didn't know much about, but soon enough the guitar solo was over and it was time for him to finish the last two verses. His voice shook hard with the last five lines, 

" _...Of course I don't believe_  
_You're dead_  
_And gone_  
_All dead_  
_And gone._ "

He let the tears fall again after he fell silent and just let them stream down his face as his fingers lightly played the remainder of the song's music before they also came to a stop and slipped away from the keys. One hand went up to his face to roughly scrub the tears still clinging to his face while the other balled up and was pushed into his stomach where his rib-cage ended. There was scattered applause and more sounds of grief that Noah barely paid attention to while the Minister stood at the pulpit again to say a few last words and directed the funeral attendees on where and how to get to the cemetery. While the man spoke Stiles turned off his equipment, put it down and wandered over to join his father at the piano. Noah reached out to pull Stiles onto his lap and just held him while the church emptied out.

When everyone but the pallbearers had left, Noah slid Stiles off his lap to stand on the ground as he also stood. He walked over to the casket that held the remains of his wife and laid his hand on top of it. His voice very rough, he said, "This is it Claud, I hope you find Freddie up there and have a blast while you wait for me to join you." He patted the top of the coffin once softly, then let his hand fall away as he moved to one of the front positions to carry the coffin. After a short count between the pallbearers they had the coffin lifted to their shoulders and as Stiles led the way, the six men carried it towards the hearse which would then take Claudia Stilinski - mother, wife, and rabid Queen fan - to her final resting place.


	3. Breakthru

Breakthru  
Stiles & Scott  
(wordcount: 555)  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEjU9KVABao

Practice was over and Scott and Stiles were in the jeep driving towards the Preserve to look for the inhaler Scott had lost the night before. Scott was waxing poetic about the new girl, Allison. Still. He hadn't stopped yammering about the girl - her smile, her dimples, her hair, her creamy complexion, her graciousness accepting the pen he'd offered her when she'd arrived, her freaking everything that Scott could think of to comment and commend about her - all damn day and Stiles was getting a bit frustrated. Don't get him wrong, Stiles was happy that Scott seemed to have found a love interest, especially one that had seemed to be into him as well, but he was a little less happy that Scott's conversational skills seemed to have deserted him for anything other than about the girl in question. Or should that be, obsession. He can't listen to much more, seriously, so he fishes out his phone and thumbs to the music player app and hits play not caring what comes on, just wanting to listen to anything other than the neverending odes about Allison that he is being subjected to by Scott. 

It's a Queen song that starts to play, Stiles isn't paying much attention to which song it is until the walking baseline starts with the second verse. He absently began to sing along until he realized which song he was singing along to and laughed as he said, "Dude, this is now your theme song."

"What? Why?" Scott asked him. Sure he'd heard the song before, he was best friends with Stiles, Queen's music was a given, but he'd never actually paid attention to the words of a lot of them. 

Stiles backed the song up a bit to the beginning of the second verse again and turned it way up as he over exaggeratedly sang the words, 

" _...I wake up_  
_Feel just fine_  
_Your face_  
_Fills my mind_  
_I get religion quick_  
_'Cause you're looking divine_  
_Honey, you're touching something; you're touching me_  
_I'm under your thumb, under your spell, can't you see?_  
_If I could only reach you_  
_If I could make you smile…_ "  


Scott made a disgruntled face at him, but the power was rather diminished as he was bopping around to the music. Stiles laughed again and Scott shrugged, owning it with his regular good nature. "It's a pretty good song, I could do so much worse."

"You could," Stiles allowed.

When the song ended Scott scooped up Stiles' phone and restarted it, they then sang along together for the second run through of the song with Scott doing full body gestures to key parts as they pulled into the parking lot for the entrance to the Preserve they needed. 

Stiles parked the jeep and scooped up his phone, turning it both down and the music off as they got out of the vehicle. "Operation 'Make Sure Scotty isn't Grounded for Losing Yet Another Inhaler' is a go!" 

Scott came around the front of the jeep and swiped at Stiles. "Dude, uh, let me remind you - it was your great idea to come out here last night to find half a body that caused me to lose it."

"Pshaw," Stiles scoffed. "Details." Then having a few self-preservation instincts he started to run laughing, with Scott chasing him.


	4. I Want It All

I Want It All  
Stiles & Jackson  
(wordcount: 585)  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFDcoX7s6rE

Stiles heard about the very public break-up between Jackson and Lydia, and besides feeling a jolt of elation that he might actually have a chance with Lydia now, he also thought about the odd confrontation Jackson had instigated with Scott about where he got his 'juice'. It made Stiles think and wonder what the hell was wrong with the douche? Seriously, how much more did he want? He was the 'king' of the school, he was the captain of the lacrosse team, he'd had the hottest and smartest girl in town as his girlfriend, he had loaded parents who gave him anything he might want, never mind need. So how was all that not enough for him? Why did he need more? 

Out of the goodness of his heart, complete with his not-so-latent asshole-ish tendencies, Stiles decided that he should send Jackson a text. A cautionary one complete with the perfect Queen song.

[Stiles to Jackson:]  
[attached file: Queen - I Want It All.mp3]  
 _Hey, you should listen to this song and understand - while it seems to be your theme song - it's not actually a valid life philosophy. Not if you don't want a hell of a lot of enemies... just saying._

Jackson felt his phone buzz as he got a notification for a new text while he was hanging out with Danny. He pulled his phone out and saw that the text was from Stilinski and almost deleted it without reading it, but then his curiosity got the better of him and so he opened it. After reading it, he exclaimed in disgusted indignation, "What the hell is the spaz on about now?"

"What?" Danny asked and craned his head to see what had Jackson huffing and puffing about now. He read it and because he was a shit-stirrer tapped the screen to download the song. Jackson rolled his eyes but let him press play when the download was complete so they could listen to the song together.

"Oh hey, I know this song - they play it at Jungle a lot. It's pretty cool." Danny said nodding his head to the beat. He then grabbed his computer to google the lyrics because he didn't really want to have to listen to the whole song just for the words. He began to giggle reading them and Jackson grabbed the computer to read them himself. "He's right you know, this song could have been written with you in mind. It's totally your theme song."

Jackson huffed and pushed the computer back into his best friend's hands. "Whatever. The guy is a total freak, he knows nothing about me."

"I don't know about that," Danny said smirking, "he pretty much nailed it with calling that your theme song. I'd say he knows more than you like to think." Jackson sneered and Danny rolled his eyes at the posturing before he sobered and asked, "Why do you think he sent you this with some not so bad advice, because he's right on the enemies thing." 

"Who knows, and who cares what goes through Stiles Stilinski's brain." Jackson brushed away Danny's concerns and settled into a quiet fume at the nerve Stiles had.

Danny just shook his head and let Jackson do what he wanted without any more input from him. He did, however, make sure to grab Jackson's phone and transfer the song file to his own phone because it was a really cool tune and he wanted to be able to listen to it again whenever he wanted.


	5. Keep Passing the Open Windows

Keep Passing the Open Windows  
Stiles & Derek  
(wordcount: 1,130)  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixpxhB9mzVo

Stiles hung up after calling Danny and arranging for him to come over, supposedly for their project, but in actuality to try and persuade him use his not so legal tech-mojo to help him and Derek trace the text. Yeah, this was not going to be fun considering Danny only tolerated him on a good day… well, needs must and all that jazz. He just hoped he could figure out a way to motivate his fellow student to help them. Derek - the wonderful ball of sunshine he was putting himself in this stressful position for - just kept glowering at him from across the room. It was making Stiles anxious, not that it took much to do that, and finally he snapped, "What?!"

"What do you mean, what?"

"You're just staring at me and it's creeping me out," Stiles replied back lightning fast. "Look, until Danny gets here there's nothing we can do so…" He made a wide gesture at everything in his room, "Find something to entertain yourself with while we wait and I get to doing the homework that I won't be able to actually do when Danny gets here, since y'know, ulterior motives and all that crap." Stiles got up from his desk to grab his bag from where he'd thrown it when he'd been surprised by the lurking POI werewolf when he'd gotten home. He rummaged in it for the textbooks he needed as he said mostly to himself, "Maybe if I get most of it done before Danny gets here he'll be more amenable… and besides, that would also be good because if we can get Danny to trace the text then I won't be able to do it after he leaves because we'll also be leaving…" He kept piecemeal muttering as he carelessly dropped his bag again when he was done with it and then plopped the textbooks onto his desk. Sighing heavily and finally falling as silent as he ever got he began to open both the textbooks and some blank documents on his computer and got to work. After a moment he also started his browser and opened a series of tabs. Then he really buckled down to work.

He did get a fair amount done but sooner than he wished his attention wandered. Partly because it was always a battle for him to stay on topic and partly because Derek was in the room; seriously, the guy was distracting on a good day. So to get back on track he opened his music player and put on one of his study playlists. It helped and he got back to work. 

He was pretty much done when something caught his attention and pulled him back to reality. A bit confused he looked up and glanced over at Derek, he just barely caught the strange look on the other man's face before he went back to his usual glare. It had been a sad kind of smile and Stiles wanted to know what had caused it, so he asked, "You okay?"

Derek focused on Stiles at the question and asked, "Yes, why wouldn't I be?"

"A moment ago I saw an actual expression on your face, kind of a sad smile thing, just wanted to make sure the world wasn't ending," Stiles replied. "That and I wondered why it happened."

"Oh." Derek's face went blank, but then something on Stiles' face must have prompted him, "It's just the song playing - it reminded me of Laura."

Stiles used songs that he had heard so often they became background noise for his study playlists so he had to make himself listen to figure out what song Derek was talking about. When he did he was a bit surprised, "Laura liked Queen?"

Derek shrugged and said, "I don't know if she liked the band, but this song she did. She played it endlessly after the fire, over and over again. She played it so much that I got sick of hearing it. Actually," he said with a small chuckle, "I think I swore that I wouldn't voluntarily listen to it ever if I had the choice... but now, hearing it with her gone, it made me feel things - both good and bad."

"I can understand that," Stiles said as he restarted the song from the beginning and listened to the words, feeling more than a bit bittersweet himself as he took them in. The song was basically an anthem about hitting rock bottom and then trying to climb back up any way you can so he nodded as he said, "Yeah, I can really see how this song would have resonated at a time like that for your sister." 

"Yeah," Derek agreed, "I can too... now."

"Did I ever tell you about my mom?" Stiles asked with a sad smile of his own, partly because the tension in the room was killing him and partly because he knew that Derek would understand - more than understand with how much he'd lost.

Derek shook his head no. 

"She's the one who introduced me to Queen. She was a huge fan of theirs and as a child I could tell how her day had gone, or was going, by whatever album she was playing." Derek just kept looking at him not saying anything but his eyebrows were telling Stiles that he obviously wanted to know what Stiles was getting at, and so Stiles continued, "Well, nowadays I still listen to their stuff because it helps me to remember her and how she was before." Stiles didn't need to expand on what he meant by 'before' because Derek very clearly understood. Stiles didn't say anymore and the tension that was always around when they were together just gone as they both lost themselves in remembering those who weren't there anymore.

Stiles, of course, was the one who spoke and broke the companionable silence first, but it was in a far different tone of voice than he usually used. It was quieter and more cautious than anything else. "I don't know if I am overstepping here, but if you want I could send you the song? Like so you could listen to it whenever you wanted, if you wanted..." 

Derek's eyes met Stiles' for a moment searchingly before he purposefully looked away, like he was afraid of what Stiles might see in his eyes in return. Stiles didn't push, he just waited and let the offer sit out there as he turned back to finish his homework. It was only when they heard the knock on the door of Danny arriving that Derek answered. 

"Yes, thank you." He said quietly and Stiles just nodded to let Derek know he'd heard his quiet words as he left the room.


	6. One Vision

One Vision  
Stiles & Peter  
(wordcount: 1,300)  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OGd4gplxQM

Stiles was driving away from the dance - under protest - with Peter Hale of all people sitting all smug on his ridiculous power high in his passenger seat silent other than giving him direction and Stiles wondered when his beloved jeep, Roscoe, had been elected as the official Hale werewolf transport. Was it Scott's fault? Did giving one werewolf rides mean the rest thought they had right to getting rides too? Or was it Derek's? Did his little stint of bleeding that gross black goo constitute his jeep becoming some kind of werewolf carrier? Stiles didn't know and honestly if he got out of this little trip alive then he thought that he wouldn't be letting any of their furry butts in his passenger seat ever again, and that included Scott. He huffed out an angry sigh which caught Peter's attention.

Peter glanced over at Stiles before turning to look out the windshield again. He seemed to find Stiles' sigh and anger amusing because he suddenly offered up, "Don't feel bad. If she lives, she'll become a werewolf. She'll be incredibly powerful." 

Stiles angrily muttered, "Yeah, and once a month, she'll go out of her freaking mind and try to tear me apart." 

"Well, actually, considering that she's a woman - twice a month." Peter said snarkily as he turned to face Stiles who had taken his eyes off the road to glare in open mouthed horror at his passenger. Stiles slowly turned his face back to the front as he contemplated how scary Lydia already was as a human and having that amped up due to a chronic case of werewolfism, with two peaks… well, shit. They were all going to die.

Peter took his horrified face in and smirked, which made Stiles snap his mouth closed into a tight line. Stiles' eyes narrowed and he decided that if the quiet made Peter want to chat then maybe some music might keep him from being so happy to share. He could only hope. Stiles leaned over and turned the jeep's stereo on. The CD already in started to play and Stiles muffled the curse he wanted to say as the famous intro started letting him know which song was about to play. He just knew Peter was going to have something to say about it. Especially when the lyrics kicked in.

" _...Hey! One man, one goal, Ha! One mission,_  
 _One heart, one soul, just one solution,_  
 _One flash of light, yeah, one god, one vision…_ "

Yep, Peter was delighted. "What a marvelous song to come on right now," he said with a slight laugh. "It's positively auspicious!" He turned towards Stiles with bright smile on his face that seriously creeped Stiles out as he said, "I have to say I am surprised, and that I approve of your taste in music." Stiles didn't say or do anything other than drive because his plan of keeping Peter from talking had certainly backfired in a big way. He didn't need to have anything else go wrong. Peter wasn't bothered by his lack of reaction as he faced forward again while he gleefully sang along to the beginning of the second verse, " _... No wrong, no right, I'm gonna tell you there's no black and no white…_ " Then like a switch was flipped he stopped singing to say in a dead tone of voice, "There really isn't, is there? Not when it comes to some things anyway." 

Okaaay, now what? Those two lines of lyrics seemed to have triggered something in Peter's head, not in a good way, and Stiles really didn't know what to do now. Seriously, he felt like he was trying to walk across a minefield blindfolded. Did he turn the music off? Did Peter want an answer? An opinion? What? He snuck a quick glance over at Peter's face to try and figure out what his best course of action was at the moment. No expression, the man's face was as dead looking as his voice had been. Great. Then when even the music playing couldn't dim down the tension that was building in the car, Stiles decided to bite the proverbial bullet. 

"Depends on what you mean and about which part," Stiles said levelly as he drove. "If you are talking about there being no wrong or right, then I have to disagree. There are some things that no one should do, and I am not talking about your killing spree against the ones who killed your family, because I am more than self aware to admit I would do exactly the same thing - if the legal system wasn't a recourse - if something fatal happened to my dad or Scott. Hell, I can't even really make any judgement calls on what you did to your own niece because what she did to you, leaving you abandoned, hurting and alone, when she dragged Derek with her and ran away. You don't do that to family, let alone what I have figured out about pack; so yeah, it was so very much a crap move on her part." 

Stiles had managed to keep his voice even for the most part, but now he started to get a bit more worked up, "But what I can and do object to is your involving people who are innocent. Like Lydia just now. Or the shit you pulled with Scott; I mean you bit him against his will, you tried to get him to kill with you, oh and don't even get me started on that bullshit with his mom - that was low. Beyond low actually. On multiple levels even. Not only did you ask her on a date with you just to fuck with Scott, you also used her position at the hospital to stir up your shit which could have cost her her job. Seriously not cool dude!" He stopped himself there and did his best to calm down with a few breathing exercises long mastered thanks to his anxiety. He really didn't need to get the unhinged murderer sitting beside him any more upset - well, not with him at least, Stiles couldn't exactly do anything about anyone else who had pissed the dude off.

He cleared his throat and continued speaking his thoughts, making sure to keep his tone again at that forced calm. "So yeah, it might be a bit more subjective but I definitely think there is right and wrong. Now, on to the idea of there being no black or white. This sentiment I do happen to agree with, as in I believe there are only endless shades of grey and no absolutes."

Peter made an odd humming sound like Stiles' words surprised him. Then he said, "I have a feeling there is going to be a 'but' here, and that it's something you don't think I am going to like hearing."

"You'd be right," Stiles said as he quickly glanced over to gauge how diplomatic he needed to keep his words. Peter's face told him nothing because insane people were really freaking hard to read. Dammit. Maybe he should stop running his mouth now while he still had an intact throat. Staying alive was always a valid goal, right? "Uh, yeah. There was a 'but', but I don't think I should keep talking right now, not when what I wanted to say wasn't going to be something you would like to hear and yeah…" Stiles let himself trail off and the only sound left in the jeep was the trailing end of the song, " _...Just gimme gimme gimme - Fried chicken! (Vision, vision, vision)..._ " 

Thankfully, for Stiles' sanity and raising his continuing life expectancy, they were only minutes away from where Peter wanted them to go - an abandoned parking garage of freaking course - creepy werewolf chic for the win.


	7. Let Me Live

Let Me Live  
Stiles & Isaac  
(wordcount: 735)  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwMwtAFw2LE

Isaac wandered into the locker room after his usual waiting game to make sure that he is the last of the team in to grab his shower when practice ends because he really doesn't want to answer any questions about all the bruises decorating his body thanks to the oh so loving attention of his father. He'd thought that he'd timed it right but not quite, it seemed, as one shower was still going. As he moved further into the locker room he could hear whoever it was still in the shower was singing along with the music they had playing off their phone, really getting into it with the beginning of the chorus. Isaac idly thought that his fellow student actually had some talent as he listened to the words being sung.

" _...Why don't you take another little piece of my heart_  
 _Why don't you take it and break it_  
 _And tear it all apart_  
 _All I do is give_  
 _And all you do is take_  
 _Baby why don't you give me_  
 _A brand new start_  
 _So let me live (so let me live)_  
 _Let me live (leave me alone)..._ "

Isaac felt something resonate inside him as he took in the words and inched closer in order to figure out who of his teammates was the singer while he wondered if it was someone he'd feel not completely awkward talking to, both about the song and how they were actually a pretty good singer. Peering around the doorframe leading to the showers he saw... Stiles, in all his spastic and flailing glory. A Stiles who obviously thought he was alone, because Isaac didn't think Stiles would be dancing naked under the falling water and belting out the song in conjunction with the music he had blaring otherwise.

Isaac very quietly retreated back from the showers as he held back a laugh. Funny though the sight had been it wasn't something he wanted to keep seeing; or have Stiles alerted to the fact he had been seen doing his one man show either for that matter. He did, however, keep listening to the song Stiles was singing along with while he mentally debated if he really needed a shower right at the moment. Digging graves didn't really need him to be clean after all, and he was going to need to take a shower before bed anyway. 

Isaac decided against getting a shower now as he didn't think he was up to coping with Stiles for any reason and so he shucked out of his lacrosse gear quietly and stowed it away. He got redressed in his regular clothes and was heading out of the locker room just as he heard the water turn off. Feeling accomplished at avoiding the other boy Isaac made his way out of the school and headed towards home. 

The song Stiles had been playing wouldn't leave his head though. He typed the words he remembered into his phone to get the artist, song title, and the youtube video link which he then put on loop to listen to while he walked home.

Something about the words and the rock gospel feel of the song had him seriously considering what his life was like right now and the offer that guy Derek had made him. Hearing the three very different voices all sing the variations on taking, giving, and 'let me live'; well, it really brought home what Derek had offered didn't it? Becoming a werewolf would certainly be 'a brand new start' wouldn't it? One that would allow him to live and not just survive. That was a powerful incentive for him to go through with it wasn't it, to actually be able to live his life and not simply suffer through what his father put him through since they got the news of how Camden had died. Plus, there was the familial belonging of pack structure to consider… Isaac really missed Camden. He missed having an older brother. He missed having someone to look after him and to have someone to look after in turn. From what he understood, that was something he would get back if he joined with Derek, and maybe even more if Derek turned others too.

Mind made up, Isaac decided that he would seek out Derek after his shift at the cemetery… and after the shower he would need rather desperately by that time.


	8. Hammer to Fall

Hammer to Fall  
Stiles vs Gerard  
(wordcount:1,220)  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU5LMG3WFBw

Stiles tried to fight back but was still pushed down the stairs into a basement by the asshole Hunter who'd grabbed him from the Lacrosse field into ominous darkness. The Hunter didn't follow after he'd shoved Stiles far enough down, instead he slammed the door shut and, Stiles guessed, locked it. 'Well shit!' He needed to get out, but how? The door at the top of the stairs was obviously a no go so onward and in he went. He fumbled his way down the rest of the stairs while attempting to use his other senses than sight and he could hear a faint buzzing sound. He groped around the walls at the base of the stairs and was rewarded when he found a light switch, praying it still worked he flipped it on. Yes! It worked. He looked around and saw Erica and Boyd trussed up in electrical wire hanging from the ceiling with black tape across their mouths. Internally he freaked out - because seriously what the fuck? - but externally he rushed over and raised his hands to start untying them from the wire. Erica and Boyd both made muffled noises through the tape on their mouths as he did so and Stiles 'shhed' them. Then his hands actually reached their goal and he got zapped, "Ow!" He yanked his hands away and he figured out that was what they had been trying to tell him.

"They were trying to warn you. It's electrified." Gerard said ominously as he slowly descended the stairs.

Crap! Stiles had been so preoccupied with trying to get Erica and Boyd free he hadn't heard the door at the top of the stairs open. Great, he now had to deal with Gerard's villainous stentorian speechifying while trapped in his murder-basement. What the hell was his freaking life lately? As Gerard reached the bottom of the stairs Stiles stepped forward and forcefully asked, "What are you doing with them?" 

Gerard stopped right at the bottom of the stairs and leaned against the wall as he answered dryly, obviously humouring Stiles, "At the moment, just keeping them comfortable. There's no point in torturing them, they won't give Derek up. The instinct to protect their Alpha's too strong."

Stiles had glanced back at Erica and Boyd while Gerard had been speaking as they made a noise with the torture part of Gerard's answer but he soon realized his mistake and turned his attention back to the biggest threat in the room. Gerard. When Gerard was done he breathed out, "Okay." Then after taking a sharp breath asked, "So what are you doing with me?"

He closed his mouth after that, but his anxiety got the better of him and his mouth started to word vomit belligerently, "Because Scott can find me, all right? He knows my scent. It's pungent, you know? It's more like a stench. He could find me even if I was buried at the bottom of a sewer covered in fecal matter and urine." 

Gerard, still standing leaned up against the wall looked amused as he drawled out, "You have a knack for creating a vivid picture, Mr. Stilinski. Let me paint one of my own." He pushed away from the wall and started to advance on Stiles, "Scott McCall finds his best friend bloodied and beaten to a pulp. How does that sound?" He stopped talking and walking at the same time looming threateningly over Stiles. 

Stiles feeling terrified with Gerard's description said very quietly, "I think I might prefer more of a still life or landscape, you know?" Then as Gerard just stared at him for a beat, Stiles felt his mouth get away from him again, "What - what are you, 90? Look, I can probably kick your ass up and down this room." Gerard didn't even wait for him to finish talking before he viciously backhanded him across the face landing him on the floor. Then Gerard leaned over and grabbed him by the front of his jersey to hold him in place while he really started to lay into him with his other hand. Stiles could only protest faintly between punches an endless litany of, "Okay. Wait... wait..."

Gerard didn't wait, he didn't stop either until he felt that Stiles was sufficiently softened up to start answering questions that he barked at him. Questions about Derek, about Scott, about Isaac, even some about Peter. Needless to say, Stiles wasn't interested in giving him any answers, not real ones anyway. Instead, remembering one wiki wormhole on torture he'd fallen down that advised to overwhelm with words rather than stay silent, he just started quoting Queen lyrics at him.

" _... Here we stand or here we fall_  
 _History won't care at all…_ "

A few more punches, 

" _...Make the bed, light the light_  
 _Lady Mercy won't be home tonight_

_You don't waste no time at all_  
 _Don't hear the bell but you answer the call_  
 _It comes to you as to us all…_ "

That quote seemed to make Gerard mad and Stiles was treated to a few kicks. Then Gerard started barking his questions again between punches and Stiles just kept going with the lyrics to 'Hammer to Fall'.

" _...Yeah, we're just waiting for the hammer to fall, yeah_  
 _Oh every night, and every day_  
 _A little piece of you is falling away…_ "

Forget thinking the last bit of verse made him mad, this time Gerard almost started foaming at the mouth and Stiles wondered if he was going to die tonight. After seriously laying into Stiles for a bit Gerard seemed to realize that if he kept up his level that he wouldn't be able to get anything from Stiles at all and he backed off a bit. Stiles just kept mumbling the lyrics in answer to Gerard's questions, using them to keep himself from breaking. Then another set that he got out in pieces really set Gerard off,

" _...Tow the line and play their game_  
 _Yeah, let the anesthetic cover it all_  
 _'Til one day they call your name_  
 _You know it's time for the hammer to fall..._

_...Rich or poor or famous_   
_For your truth it's all the same…_

_...now your struggle's all in vain, yeah_   
_For who grew up tall and proud…_

_...In the shadow of…_ " 

Gerard went completely nuts and Stiles had just barely realized he must have hit on something important with those last few lines before he knew no more as Gerard knocked him out in his rage.

When he woke up he wasn't in the basement anymore, he'd been dumped in a park not far from his house. He managed to get up, slowly and painfully, to make his way home feeling a bit of pride that he hadn't given Gerard anything. Even though he knew getting any information from him would have only been a bonus and not really the real cause for what he'd been through; Gerard had beaten him just to send a message to Scott just like he'd said before he'd even laid a hand on him. He just didn't know why Gerard felt the need to do it at all. Stiles had a feeling he was missing some information and he didn't like it, especially when his body was used as both the delivery method and the memo all at once.


	9. It's a Hard Life

It's A Hard Life  
Stiles & Lydia  
(wordcount: 840)  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0astd-Rh_Q

His dad had just walked out of his room leaving Stiles sitting alone in his dark room and all Stiles could think out loud was, "I'm not a hero." His eyes fell down and he saw his phone, he thought about all the texts from Scott, especially the last one Lydia had seen, and he decided, 'but I can still help.' He grabbed his phone and got up. Lydia hadn't left too long ago, he could still catch up with her and do something useful tonight. Something more useful than serving as a punching bag to a psychopathic geriatric bully at any rate.

He dashed down the stairs and out the door, calling to his dad on the way out, "Be back soon, I'm just going to make sure Lydia gets home safely!" He was pretty sure his dad had heard and understood, but he didn't really hear if that was the case or not as he wasted no time in jumping into his jeep and was soon headed out hopefully to find Lydia before she got too far. 

It didn't take him long to find her, she could move quick in the heels she habitually wore but she generally didn't make the effort unless she had sufficient motivation. He guessed that not exactly knowing where she wanted to go, even if she felt something strongly, was enough to keep her down to just her normal speed. He pulled up beside her and slowed to a crawl while he beeped his jeep's horn. She didn't really jump, but her head did swing around pretty quick to look over to where he was slowly pacing her in his jeep. Stiles motioned for her to get in, she didn't comply right away, instead she narrowed her eyes and gave him a searching look like she was trying to determine his motives for offering her a ride. She must have decided that he wasn't trying to do anything to stop her anymore so she walked over to the jeep while he braked long enough for her to get in and get her seat belt on.

"So," she asked. "Why the change in heart in helping me? I am not mistaking that is what this is, right?"

Stiles took his foot off the break and started to drive again as he replied, "Yes, I am helping you and the change of heart was due to something my dad said to me after you left." He made certain to not look her way when he answered because he could feel how her interest sharpened with his words and the last thing he wanted to do was spill his guts to her about any more tonight. It was bad enough that he was finally letting go of his crush on her in the face of the realisation that she really did love that douchebag Jackson, but there was still more than enough of his infatuation for her that if she asked more that he would spill everything about the issues he had surrounding his relationship with his father which was only complicated more with all the supernatural shit of late. Lydia, thankfully, seemed to sense his reticence and didn't pry any further.

The lack of conversation between them had Stiles ansty, so he turned on his radio for something to fill the silence and his CD player immediately kicked into play with Freddie Mercury crooning, 

" _...It's a hard life_  
_To be true lovers together_  
_To love and live forever in each others hearts_  
_It's a long hard fight…_ "

Stiles barked out a short laugh, and as Lydia looked over to him with confusion he reached for the radio controls to back the song up to it's beginning. "I just thought of getting you to listen to this song a while ago, like when Jackson first broke up with you," Stiles explained. "I had hoped it might make you feel better then, but now I am thinking it's still appropriate - just for other reasons than I initially intended."

Lydia listened intently to the lyrics of the song and was smiling faintly by the end. "I think," she said, "that I would have appreciated it then, but you are right in that it means something more to me now. It's a good song, Stiles, thank you."

"You're welcome." He said and then felt his adrenaline began to surge as the warehouse Scott had texted him about came into view. He glanced over at Lydia and asked, "You ready for this?" She nodded and he tightened his hands on the steering wheel while he took a deep breath, then when he felt ready, he slammed his foot down on the gas and barrelled his jeep towards the warehouse. "Shiiiiiit!" He couldn't stop his eyes from closing as they approached the wall at speed, but soon enough they were through and Stiles slammed on the breaks when he felt himself hit something he was pretty sure was Jackson. He pried one eye opened and asked, "Did I get him?"


	10. White Queen (As It Began)

White Queen (As It Began)  
Stiles & Boyd  
(wordcount: 1,260)  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8usNj4x9NA

Stiles flinched as lightning flashed that was almost immediately followed by a crack of thunder while the rain fell beyond the edge of the porch overhang he was standing rather gratefully under. "Sheesh, damn storm." He muttered to himself, but then turned his attention back to the door in front of him trying to muster up the courage to knock. Sure Boyd had thrown him some serious shade this afternoon at school with that 'I only had one friend and she's dead' crack, but that didn't mean Stiles couldn't reach out. Boyd didn't have to like him for Stiles to be a decent human being; and it wasn't like Stiles didn't understand, he'd lost people too. Thoughts of Heather and seeing her ritually murdered dead body in the morgue rushed through his mind and he ruthlessly pushed them back, if he didn't he wouldn't be able to do what he'd come here to do which wouldn't help either of them. That thought in mind had his hand up and knocking at the door before he could overthink things again.

Then he was stuck waiting. How he hated waiting, but needs must. Thankfully he wasn't kept waiting for long as Boyd answered the door in fairly short order and Stiles didn't know what his body did in greeting, it was a kinda mixed flail and wave, complete with an aborted sort of smile and a short, "Hey."

Boyd sighed tiredly and leaned against the door jamb. "What are you doing here Stilinski?"

Stiles' head bobbed around at bit and then a full on babble escaped him, because of course he still had no idea what to say, but he gamely met Boyd's eyes as he said, "Yeah, um, I know you said at school that you don't think of me as a friend and I guess I can understand why you feel that way, but the thing is I did think of you as a friend, or at least I was hoping things were heading that way. With both you and Erica. Shit man, I spent a lot of my summer searching for the two of you - well, after I healed up from what Gerard did to me - and I just wanted to let you know that I was sorry." His eyes fell shut as he tried to again pull back tears, thoughts of Erica being dead just led his mind back to seeing Heather on the slab in the morgue. His eyes opened and met Boyd's again as he said very roughly, "So fucking sorry, dude."

Boyd looked a bit shaken at how torn up Stiles seemed to be and he asked, "This isn't only about Erica is it?" He straightened up from his lean and stepped forward as if he wanted to show Stiles he was paying attention.

"No," Stiles said as he shook his head. "You've heard about the sacrifices right? Of course you have, Kyle was one of them, but the first one was my oldest friend, Heather. Our mothers were friends to the point where they had pictures of the two of us together in the bath until we were like three years old. I actually was with her just minutes before she was taken, I had just left her while I ran to the bathroom and when I got back she was gone. Taken. Right out the middle of her seventeenth birthday party."

"Are you serious?" Boyd asked incredulously as another flash of lightning ripped through the sky followed quickly by another crack of thunder. He blinked a bit as Stiles jumped and then offered while stepping to the side, "Hey, why don't you come inside and we'll talk some more. Maybe there is a chance we could work towards becoming friends still."

Stiles agreed with another awkward nod and preceded Boyd into the house. He stopped in the foyer to take off his shoes as well as to wait for Boyd to close the door. Boyd nodded in approval at Stiles lack of shoes before he led him further into the house. He led Stiles to the kitchen and they sat at the table together after Boyd asked him if he wanted anything. Stiles replied in the negative and they just sat in silence together for a while, each of them trying to figure out what they wanted to say now that they were sitting there. Stiles predictably was the one to break the impasse. "So," he drawled out uncomfortably and Boyd chuckled softly.

"It's actually painful for you not to be talking, isn't it?"

Stiles halfheartedly shrugged as he replied, "Not always. It's mostly when I feel uncomfortable. I don't know why, it's just something I do. Like a defense mechanism, y'know"

Boyd shook his head, "I guess I'm the opposite, when I feel uncomfortable I tend to get quieter."

"See, we could be the perfect friendship, dude, that opposites attract thing; except only in a buds way rather than romantic." Stiles said and Boyd let a slight smile pass over his lips. 

"Maybe," Boyd agreed. Then he added, "Actually there was something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Shoot," Stiles said.

"I was going to try and organize a memorial for Erica soon, and Kyle. And now that I know about her, we could also add your friend Heather to it too, but I was going to ask you about that band your mom liked."

"Queen? What about them? Oh and yeah, I would like having a memorial for Heather, I hadn't really thought about that yet." 

Boyd shifted slightly and said, "Well, I know you sang a song of theirs for your mom's funeral and I was wondering if they, maybe, had a song that I could sing for Erica? And if you could play the guitar while I sang too."

Stiles sat upright and started digging for his phone while he said, "Oh, yeah, there is this one that I think you might like, give me a sec and I can play it for you so you can see if it will work for you - or for Erica and you I guess." His fingers were already flying over his phone's screen as he spoke, and shortly afterwards he was turning up the volume so that Boyd could hear it as it played.

Tears welled up and fell from Boyd's eyes, and one of his hands went up to cover his mouth as he listened. When the song had ended, Boyd pulled his hand away from his mouth and said roughly, "Yeah, that one really works. Thanks."

"Here," Stiles pulled up the lyrics after he started the song again and handed the phone to Boyd so he could read along as it played a second time. Boyd mouthed along to the words and then when the song had finished for the second time Stiles asked, "When were you thinking for the memorial and when did you want to practice?"

"I was thinking this weekend for the memorial, that would give us five days to practice. Do you mind taking me back to yours tonight so we can get started with practicing?" Boyd asked and Stiles smiled. 

He got up from the table and nodded towards the door. "I don't think we'll have the five days to practice, that's not our luck lately, but sure we can at least start tonight and get a couple hours in."

Boyd made a wry face in agreement as he followed Stiles and shortly afterwards they were in the jeep and heading to Stiles' house.


	11. Innuendo

Innuendo  
Stiles & Cora  
(wordcount 1,250)  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkIViNpRC2w

Peter is actually gone, Stiles asked Cora to make sure, and they have moved to sit further from the window. Cora keeps looking over at him before she finally asked, "What?" Stiles looked at her. "What's this…" Her one hand gestured towards her own face. "What's this look on your face?"

Stiles said, " What look?" 

Cora rolled her eyes and said, "The kind of look that makes me want to punch you." 

Stiles rears back his head a bit and shakes it as he says, "Oh, my God. You are so Derek's sister. I forgot." 

Cora didn't react to Stiles' except to press him for an answer, "Well, what is with the look?" 

"I just don't believe him." Stiles shifted where he sat, turning to face Cora, who in turn shifted to more fully face him as well, and leaned closer as he said, "All right, in Ms. Blake's class, we're reading heart of darkness, and it's in first person, right? Narrated by Marlow. The thing is that he's... he's an unreliable narrator. You know the details of it have changed, you know, just because of his perspective." 

Cora let her hands fly as she said, "Well, then we heard the story from Peter's perspective." 

Stiles nodded slightly and said, "Right, and I don't think we got the whole story." 

"So, what, are... Are you just gonna ask Derek about the girl he fell in love with and then killed?" Cora asked slowly. 

Stiles wouldn't meet her eyes as he said, "If I have to... Yeah."

They mutually didn't want to talk much after that exchange and so Cora got up and started to stretch out, obviously preparing to work out. Stiles thought she had a good idea, but he wasn't so good at keeping on track without music so he went and grabbed his phone to put on one of his pre-prepared playlists that he had designed to keep him moving even when he'd rather not. Then he joined Cora in stretching out.

The first two songs passed without him registering them really other than for the beat, which is why he had chosen them, but then the very distinct drumroll with faint counting started and Stiles kinda collapsed out of the stretch he was in the middle of with a slight laugh. The song has already started into the rather ominous beginning of bass and martial drum when Cora asked, "What? Why would this song make you laugh like that? It actually sounds more ominous than funny." 

"It's a song called Innuendo by the group, Queen, and the reason it made me laugh is because this song sounds so damn ominous but if you read the lyrics, it actually has a rather good message - all about how no matter what is happening in the world around us, either man-made or due to nature, that we just have to keep trying to get better and rise above."

Cora looked skeptical and Stiles just laughed more. He patted the floor beside him as he fiddled with his phone pulling up the lyrics. He paused the song before held the phone out towards her after she sat down and said, "Here, read this."

She did and huffed out a small laugh before she handed the phone back to him, "Those words don't match the music I was just hearing." 

Stiles restarted the song as he said, "Well, this is a Queen song so there is a lot more going on than how it starts." 

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Queen is known for being more than a bit random and they really like to mix and match musical styles - you'll see. Just keep listening." Stiles explained.

They sit and just listen for a couple minutes while it is still driving but somehow getting more uplifting and then it comes to the part where it just drops off into something more melodic. Cora raises an eyebrow at the whiplash change and Stiles smirks at her, "As I said, mix and match musical styles, give it a few and.." The music again changed into something flamenco influenced and now Cora had to laugh. Stiles laughed with her and said, "It gets weirder."

The music again changed, this time sounding like something that would be right at home in 'The Sound of Music' and Cora full out snorted. "This song is ridiculous."

Stiles grinned at her. "It kinda is, but that doesn't stop it from being great." He mimed like he was a conductor getting more manic once the electric guitar kicked in. Cora pushed him over and he just laid down until the music again reverted to how the song had started. He pushed himself back up while Freddie sang about the end of time and sat quietly for the remainder of the song. When it was over he sighed and paused the playlist. 

"Why the sigh?" Cora asked.

Stiles smiled slightly and said quietly, "Queen was my mother's favourite group, she was a bit of a rabid fan actually, and everytime I listen to them I'm reminded of her." Cora started to look concerned but Stiles shook his head. "No, not in a bad way, don't worry, it's just that I don't always think about her since she's been gone for a long time now and I've had time to heal. It just that sometimes their music really reminds me of her and I get to thinking. Wondering all sorts of things, the main one recently is what she would have made out what my life is like now. Like would she have rolled with it? Or would she be freaking out and trying to pack me off to Timbuktu?"

"I get what you are saying," Cora said with a soft smile of her own. "There are some times when I am out and about in Beacon Hills or the Preserve and something reminds me of my family. Not all the time, just sometimes. Makes me wonder what they would think of how things are now."

Stiles flopped backwards to lie on the floor and stare up at the rafters. He idly asked out of the blue, "Do you think I would get the crap beaten out of me if I quoted Prince the next strategy meeting?"

"What?" 

Cora obviously still wasn't up to following his mental tangents. That was okay, she could be trained. "You know," Stiles said. "Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life."

Cora shook her head as she chuckled and said, "Yes, definite beat down."

"Ah well," Stiles lamented, "not everyone can appreciate my wit and brilliance. I won't tempt fate then."

"Good thought." Cora opined, then she asked, "So you have anymore Queen music on your phone?"

"Yeah, why?"

Cora laid down beside him and gazed up at the rafters as she said, "I wouldn't mind hearing more, they sound kinda cool."

"Sure." Stiles grabbed his phone and pulled up a new playlist, one that was exclusively made up of Queen songs. "I mentioned that they were all over the place, yeah?"

"So their music matches what it's like inside your head?" Cora snarked. 

Stiles' mouth opened as he was going to protest or defend himself but then he thought about it for a moment and said, "I can't really argue with that." Then he hit play to start the music while he explained here and there some of the history of the band and how it affected their music.


End file.
